Great Valley Bookfest recap! 

Bookfest

Hi friends – here’s a quickie blog since I’ve been feeling a little achy and groggy this past week.  Last weekend, I stopped by the Great Valley Bookfest for about an hour and lugged home a bunch of goodies. I thought I’d share this little adventure since it fits right in with my blog’s thrifty … Read more

Why you should always check out your local Friends of the Library book sale

Library card on books

I simply adore libraries. They’re such wonderful third spaces for free community events, workshops, and resources. And of course, there are the books. Whether you’re partial to obscure antiquarian reads or the latest BookTok titles, you can enjoy everything for free. As a thrifty bookworm, I also love checking out library book sales, which are usually … Read more

Modesto’s Mad Monk Vintage: A CD and DVD collector’s slice of paradise

Mad Monk storefront

As the rain hammered down this past gray February weekend, I made my quarterly pilgrimage to Modesto for a much-needed thrifting trip out of town. I didn’t find much at Goodwill, but I had a blast yet again perusing the endless aisles at the Mad Monk.  I first came across Mad Monk when I lived … Read more

Going on used book shopping adventures

Sign that reads Great Valley Bookfest Today

Hands down, one of my favorite things about living in the Central Valley is the Great Valley Bookfest. I came across it while coming back home from a date a few years ago, and I’ve been making an active effort to attend every year! (Is my blog becoming a case study of life in the … Read more

Review: Bolu Babalola’s “Honey & Spice”

Honey & Spice next to monstera leaves

It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a romance novel that’s swept me off my feet. While perusing the library one day, I happened upon Bolu Babalola’s Honey & Spice in the New Fiction section. I’ve always found myself snickering at Babalola’s jokes on Twitter, so I wanted to see what her novel would … Read more

Review: Carmen Maria Machado’s “Her Bodies and Other Parties” and Linda Holmes’ “Flying Solo”

Her Bodies and Other Parties and Flying Solo

Do you ever think about the patriarchy and get your fists balled up a little? My past two reads, Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Bodies and Other Parties and Linda Holmes Flying Solo, couldn’t be more different in concept, but I’d say that both of them push against the cishetero-patriarchal notion of womanhood. I’ve been familiar … Read more